Valentine's Day 2024

My new book, "The Musubi Man."

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day came and went.  I like the holiday, but I really love Christmas more.  My husband said he really searched high and low in stores for a Chia Pet for me.  I love houseplants and I never got a Chia Pet before, so I was really hoping for one.  

We didn't exchange gifts for the actual V-Day, but I did get him Green Bay Packer's slip on sandals, and a teeshirt a week before Valentine's Day.  He got me chocolates and a forever rose from the Valentine's section of the local drug store, but two weeks before Valentine's Day.

Still, I'm more obsessed with Christmas.  I know we didn't get the annual Christmas ornament this past Christmas.  So, I was thinking I'd buy a Christmas book.  I made a mistake.  I should have read it first.

I automatically assume Gingerbread men are Christmas-related.  But, they aren't.  I don't think I ever read the full story of the "Gingerbread Man," the one that says, "Run, run, run, fast as you can.  You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man."  I found a Hawaiian version called "The Musubi Man."  There's nothing Christmassy about it.  It came in the mail today, and I was totally disappointed.  But, I will add it to my Tiki things, because I also collect Tiki mugs.  I'm bummed.  So, I am still on the hunt for a Hawaiian Christmas book.  I guess, I should get the Pidgin version of  'Twas the Night Before Christmas, this time.  

Merry All Year Long!

🥒Pickle Tradition🥒

“Christmas isn’t about candy canes or lights all aglow, it’s the hearts that we touch, and the care that we show.” – Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas

I usually shrink my photos, but I left his one large so you can read the purpose of the Christmas pickle.

I posted a Christmas pickle ornament quite a few years ago, before my split with my children's father.  When I moved away, I didn't have any of my holiday décor, as I moved over seas to Hawai‘i and couldn't take anything with me.

When I came back to the Mainland, I moved to Oregon.  I found a Christmas pickle in a Salem, Oregon Dollar Tree, and knew I HAD to have it.  It was far brighter than my old pickle ornament, and who doesn't like shiny???

Even though I'm more about tropical décor these days, I still want to have a pickle in my tree.  There's no harm in that, right? 

So, here's to my future Christmas tree.  

A side note, because my last name is now Dillard, I love finding pickle things to represent the "dill" part of my name.  It's just fun for me.  I even have a pickle tattooed on my leg holding up the shaka.  It says, "Big Kine Dill." It's a play on pidgin for "Kind of a Big Deal."

In the future, I want to buy a Christmas book written in Pidgin, it's about the Musubi Man instead of the Gingerbread Man.  I think that will be a great addition.  I have been slacking.  I used to always buy a Christmas-themed book out, because I'm not much into watching Christmas movies.  I think I would love to display the Musubi Man book and start reading more, again.  

Our Annual Christmas Ornament

I was cracking up. Trevor called his mom wondering where his annual Christmas ornament was. She normally sends a Christmas ornament to us every year. We didn't get one this past Christmas. She's been spending much time in the Pacific North West with family, rather than her home in Hawaii. She said, "I looked, but all the ornaments up here are ugly."

I could only imagine a list of ugly ornaments...

• Sasquatch ornaments being #1
• Redwood tree ornaments
• a fish with a hook in its mouth ornaments
• pinecone or acorn with glitter on it for a ridiculous price
• Smokey the bear ornaments
• fruit and veggie ornaments reminiscent of farming

I'm not saying those are ugly-ugly.  I'm just saying it's not for us and if I know my mother-in-law, it's definitely not her, either.  

I love decorating, and since I have been with Trevor, the theme has been tropical since both of us are tropical people (he was raised in Hawaii, we met in Hawaii, and I'm proud to be part Ilocano). So, I'm very specific on what I put on display. Though, my sister's decorations dominated the holidays the last two years (hers are a mix of everything from snowmen, gingerbread, Christmas mice, candy canes, traditional Santa, angels, etc) I would love to open our holiday decorations up, again, too. I generally stick to one theme. She doesn't have a theme. Her theme is "if it's cute, it's on display."

For Christmas 2023, in the tradition, Trevor Claus sent his sons in Florida candy-stuffed Christmas stockings made of fabrics from Hawaii with Hawaiian print, so they could have something from where they were born. We got them from a booth at the monthly Aloha Fair (many of the vendors are Poly Mainlanders with ties to the islands or Hawaii locals who moved to the mainland). Going to the fair is my way of getting Trevor involved in OUR community without a membership card as well as mingling with people who understand pidgin, hear music he grew up with, and can let him be himself without question. As the fair grows in popularity, new vendors come out of the woodwork, too, as well as Hawaii locals traveling from other cities and counties to get to it.